Earlier today I was listening to an audiobook by Eckhart Tolle or as my wife likes to call him, Egbert - not out of disprespect but more from a friendly familiarity. He was talking about things we all know but ignore and how one of those things is the fact that for each of us, the only time that actually exists is now. Tomorrow and yesterday are really just thoughts and memories but Now is what we are experiencing....Now. Deep. No Really.

So, what the Earth am I blathering on about? Well, I was looking at my portfolio later in the day and I looked at one of the images and thought to myself - Wow...What was I thinking? Not that I want to put words into Egberts mouth but he would probably say something like "You were in the now." in his wise, happy tone.

Well, I am in the Now, Now, and I still don't know what the hell I was thinking. Image 1 is the original image taken of Astrid last winter. It was shot in a park in Amsterdam on an icy Dutch morning. If you've never been to Amsterdam during winter, Amsterdam winters make your bones ache. It's not that it is especially cold - It's just that the cold with the wind is a tough combination and because The Netherlands is so flat, there is always wind. Astrid was a champion. She had the presence to be serious and funny and flirty and playful at the mere suggestion and didn't complain once.

So, I thought this image was really cool. I liked the colours, the background, the look. I just really liked this image. Then, today, in the words of Jack Burton, "I came to my senses.". Not that I don't like the image - it's just that it's not anywhere near it's full potential.

Now, I am, by no means, a design person. My photoshop skills are ok but I am definitely in the "In camera" group of photographers. While, I have a masses of respect for people like Vincent Versace, I can't do that. Maybe in a different Now, I may feel differently about it, but for now, I have neither the skill in photoshop, the foresight to plan at the time of shooting what adjustments I will be making in photoshop, nor the patience for the Vincent Versace approach.

I need to see the back of the camera and be able to say "Oh Wow, I really like that." Otherwise I am relentless. I will keep shooting until I hit the threshold of that "Wow" moment.

So, after a bunch of hours and different experiments, I came up with this (Image 2). It just feels better, Now. That's not to say that a month or a year from now there won't be a new Now where I'm going to look at the image and say "Man! What the hell was I thinking?!" I don't know. What do you think? Feel free to comment.